Celebrate with These Make-Ahead Brunch Recipes

Make brunch feel effortless and focus on the people – not the cooking – with this simple plan filled with delicious make-ahead brunch recipes!

Your Guide to a Successful, Healthy Brunch

Step 1: Plan your brunch menu.

Choose which make-ahead brunch recipes you’ll make, and familiarize yourself with their ingredients and instructions. The key here is to choose easy dishes that keep well overnight in the fridge. Anything that needs to be served immediately after cooking or that gets soggy when left out is a no-go (we’re looking at you, scrambled eggs).

Paige Bente, M.S., R.D., and Beachbody Nutrition Manager, recommends one of three options:
1) A cold brunch (like whole-grain bagels, lox, and cream cheese — or lighter Neufchâtel cheese) that you can plate the night before
2) An oven dish (like frittata or quiche) that you can reheat or bake the day of
3) Something that can be made in a slow-cooker (like oatmeal) and set on a timer.

There are endless menu options for healthy and satisfying brunch recipes (see the end of the article for our recommendations), but today we’re showing you how to make a savory Spinach and Broccoli Strata, chopped fruit salad, and decadent, low-calorie Flourless Brownie Muffins — because even brunch needs dessert, right?

Step 2: Go grocery shopping.

Check your recipes to see which ingredients you have already and make a list of those you’ll need to stock up on. Don’t forget extras like decorative garnishes, ice, or paper plates and napkins if you’re keeping things casual. And flowers. Do not forget the flowers.

Use our egg strata recipe as a starting point, and decide if there any extra veggies you’d like to pack it with. Consider adding grape tomatoes, mushrooms, or even asparagus to the dish.

For your fruit salad, pick seasonal fruits like strawberries, . You can leave your salad bare or dress it with a mix of fresh lemon juice and honey.

Remember to include drink necessities. Keep it simple and stock up on coffee, tea, and maybe even a bottle of bubbly for mimosas.

Step 3: Prep Your Make-Ahead Brunch Recipes

Turn on your oven and start mixing ingredients for your Flourless Brownie Muffins. Once you put the muffins in the oven to cook, start steaming broccoli and sautéing onions and garlic on the stove for the strata. Once you’ve added the veggies to the egg mixture, cover it and leave it in a bowl in the fridge. Cut the bread into cubes, and tuck them into an airtight container.

After you take the muffins out of the oven, let them cool for 10 minutes before arranging them on a serving platter and covering with foil. Keep these in a cool, dry cabinet overnight.

Lastly, peel, slice, and chop your fruits, then combine them in a serving bowl or platter. If you use apples, to prevent them from browning, Krista Haynes, R.D. and Beachbody Nutrition Manager, recommends squeezing lemon juice over them and stirring before combining them with the other fruits. Cover the salad with a lid or plastic wrap and put it in the fridge.

“Also, be sure your fridge is set colder than 41 degrees Fahrenheit to prevent bacterial growth,” says Haynes.

Step 4: Set the table and lay out your dishes.

The key to a relaxing morning is having everything ready to go, including your table set-up. Make sure your dishes, cups, silverware, platters, and serving utensils are washed and ready to go. Then, before mom wakes up, break out your tablecloth, napkins, centerpiece, and decorations to set the table exactly how you think she’ll like it.

Step 5: Set up a drink station.

If you’re having a large group, keep things easy and set up a DIY drink station near the coffee maker. Put out an empty ice bucket to chill juice and champagne, then line up your mugs, glasses, and champagne flutes.

The Finishing Touches for Your Make-Ahead Brunch Recipes:

Step 6: Bake the egg strata.

Fill a 3-quart baking dish with bread cubes and cheese, pour the egg and veggie mixture over it, cover with foil, then pop it in the oven to bake. Budget for an extra 5 to 10 minutes to cook your strata since it was chilling in the fridge overnight. You’ll know it’s done when the eggs have puffed up, are lightly browned on top, and the strata doesn’t wiggle in the middle when you shake the dish.

If you got even farther ahead and cooked the strata the night before, make sure you reheat your dish to an internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit to prevent food-borne illness, says Bente.

Step 7: Make sure everything is in place.

While you wait for the strata to bake, get everything else is ready to go. Start a pot of fresh coffee, set out the muffins, fill your ice bucket with ice, and organize the drinks at your beverage station. Don’t forget to set out milk (whole, low-fat, almond, or whatever milk alternative makes mom happy).

Next, take out your fruit salad and add any last-minute ingredients (like banana). To sweeten it, stir together three tablespoons of lemon juice and two tablespoons of honey, then drizzle the mixture over your salad and lightly toss it until every piece of fruit is coated. If you want to jazz up your dressing, you can add chia seeds, sprigs of mint, a dash of cinnamon, or orange zest. Or, instead of dressing your fruit salad, serve it with a lightly sweetened yogurt dipping sauce.

Once the strata has finished baking, you’re ready to sit down and enjoy! Cut the strata into squares, serve each guest — mom first! — a hearty slice, and dig in.

More Healthy Make-Ahead Brunch Recipes:

Save